The textile industry has been recognized as one of the largest pollution sources of wastewater in China. In this study, the possibility of using irradiation technology to degrade reactive dye in aqueous solution was investigated. The reactive blue KNR in aqueous solutions under different conditions were irradiated by ,60,Co γ-rays to 4.3, 8.9, 13.7, 17.4 and 20.3 kGy, respectively. Changes of absorption spectra, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and degree of decoloration were examined. A COD removal efficiency of 80% and a decoloration rate of 100% could be obtained. The results suggests that te irradiation technology shall be a promising process for treatment of textile dye waste effluents.